The Incident
by Akashi x Murasakibara 4Ever
Summary: Suzuki Amaya has had a hard life. Her father has no place in her life, her mother is a sex addict and hits her and her little sister, Harumi. Things couldn't get any worse. But what happens when Amaya's secret gets past the tennis courts and into the school? Will the bullying be too much for her to handle? Or will a certain team help her through it all?
1. An Old Friend

**Chapter 1**

I quietly looked at the tennis racket in my hand and sighed. What was I doing? I wasn't a tennis player. Not anymore. I blinked out of my trance and placed the racket back on the shelf. I grabbed my bag, which I had to leave at the front desk, and walked silently out of the sliding doors, my head down and my fists tight. Since I was looking down, and not where I was going, I ran into someone.

"Sorry," I mumbled.

"Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes?" A voice I knew a little too well said. I looked up and saw,

"F-Fuji Syusuke!?" I squeaked in shock.

"Suzuki Amaya, it's nice to see you on this fine day. What brings you to a tennis shop though?" Fuji asked. I shrugged.

"Boredom and bad decisions," I said. Fuji smiled.

"Of course you would say that," He said. I smiled slightly and nodded, my black hair curtaining my face and my glasses going down slightly on my face.

"I see you got your hair cut like you said you would," Fuji said. I nodded. I had bet him that Echizen would lose in the Finals against Rikkaidai in the Kantou Tournament, and lost. Fuji had bet his cactus and I had bet my hair, since Fuji knew how much I loved my long hair. I had lost the bet, and my hair was cut really short. But it had grown out a lot and was now shoulder length.

"Anyways, now that we've seen each other again, it seems we must hang out Amaya-chan," Fuji said. I nodded and pushed my glasses back up on my face. Gah, I felt like such a nerd when I did that!

"Amaya-chan, do you know if you can come with me to the Ice Cream shop we went to before you left? We need to talk about something," Fuji said. I thought for a second.

"Sure," I said. Fuji nodded.

"Good, Come with me Amaya-chan," Fuji said and walked away from the tennis shop with me by his side. We walked for about 10 minutes before we got there. As usual, Fuji ordered Mint Chocolate Chip and I ordered just regular Vanilla. We both sat down at our normal spot and happily ate our ice cream in silence for about 5 minutes, until Fuji said,

"Amaya-chan, how is it at home?"

I was taken aback by the question."What do you mean?" I asked, playing the dumb role. Fuji didn't believe the act.

"You know what I mean," He said, opening his eyes. I looked away. The look in his eyes were so intense, it was hard for me to look at him. At least straight in the eyes.

"You know how I worry about you. Your mother's not the best person in the world," Fuji said.

"I noticed. But Harumi and I are fine. You don't need to worry about us," I said. Fuji sighed.

"You know, you don't have to play the tough role. You can ask for help and everyone's willing to give it to you. Why don't you just let people help you instead of suffering?" Fuji asked. I grimaced at the question. This was one of the topics I hated talking most about when we were talking about my personal life and Fuji knew it. But I knew I couldn't dodge the question forever.

"I feel like I can deal with this on my own. I know it's not the smartest idea ever, nor is it the safest. But I feel that I can take on my problems without anyone else butting in," I said bluntly. It wasn't how I really felt about the situation, but the lie just flowed out of my mouth, so I just let it out.

"Amaya-chan….. I hope you know what you're doing," Fuji said.

"I know what I'm doing. You just worry a little bit too much is all."

"I'll still be checking up on you frequently by asking the Rikkaidai members if they've seen any bruises or markings on you or Harumi."

I groaned. Of course he would go that far. He was Fuji Syusuke after all. "Amaya-chan, I know that you think this is all just a pain in your side, but please. I care about you and Harumi a lot. I just… don't want to see you two hurt is all," Fuji said.

I blinked, surprised by his words. I looked at my ice cream bowl, the ice cream in the bowl melted to the point where it was just liquid.

"Fuji," I said, "Thank you." Fuji smiled at me and I sighed. Fuji looked at his wrist and frowned deeply.  
"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I want you to get home as soon as possible," He said.

"What? Why?"

"Don't ask questions, just go!"

Fuji quickly stood up, and grabbed my hand, pulling me out of my chair. I was surprised.

"Please go. I'll see you at the National Tournament finals tomorrow with Rikkaidai," Fuji said.

"Okay, see you then," I said, grabbing my bag and walking away. It was about a 30 minute walk to my house from the Ice Cream shop if I sped walked, which I did. As I walked through the gate, I was greeted by my sister.

"Big Sis!" My little sister Harumi called, as she slung her arms around my neck," I missed you so much! Why were you gone for so long?"

"I ran into an old friend. You know Fuji Syusuke right?" I asked. She nodded

"You used to like him before you had to move to the school Rikkaidai right?" She asked. I felt my face heat up and I looked down slightly.

"Yes, I did like him once. But that's a thing of the past and should never be brought up again," I said. She actually saw that I was serious and nodded.

"Never to be spoken of again, got it," She said," But Mom's looking everywhere for you! I would go in and tell her you're home before she calls the police and reports you missing."

"You little rascal. But that's why I love you," I said.

"I love you too Big Sis. Now go on. She could be on the phone with the cops right now!" Harumi said. I nodded and quickly walked into the house. My mom was on the phone, but luckily it didn't seem to be the cops.

"Have you seen her? She's been gone for- Oh!" She said as she saw me. I waved. "Never mind, she's home. Thank you!"

My mom hung up the phone and looked at me. Then, she did exactly what I thought she was going to do. She slapped me.

"Where have you been!? Do you know how long you were gone!? Didn't I say be home by 3!?" My mom yelled. I grimaced

"I'm sorry, it won't happen again," I said.

"You're right, it won't, because you no longer have person to leave the house unless you are coming with me to go somewhere or you're going to school. Do you understand?" My mom asked. I nodded.

"I'm sorry I stayed out later then you wanted me to. It was a mistake on my part," I said.

"Good. You figured out your mistake," She said," Now, go to your room. I don't think you deserve any dinner tonight. Why can't you be good like your sister is sometimes?"

Sometimes? Harumi was good all the time and it hurt me to see her get abused my Mom when she did nothing wrong or when it was for something I did. It made me feel like if I wasn't around, she wouldn't be getting hit.

"Yes, Ma'am," I said, the venom in my words clearer than before. I really hated calling her ma'am. It didn't fit her personality at all. She often blamed Harumi and me that she was unhappy. She told us we were nothing and that she hated us ever since she figured out she was pregnant with both of us. I have no idea though, that if she had a 3 year old child, me, why would she go and sleep with some guy anyways? What a slut. What a whore. I could call her a bunch of names, but for the sake of my own sanity, I'd rather not think about her at all unless I really have to. I got to my room and slammed the door behind me. I jumped on my bed and laid down, taking in my room.

All of the anime souvenirs I've gotten at anime cons, my anime DVDs and visual novels. My Hello Kitty alarm clock that my sister got for me for Christmas, and my blue bedspread. I loved my room. It was the only place my mom dared not to enter. She said it might smell like sex, since I was apparently a "whore". Everyone at Seigaku hated how my mom treated Harumi and I and so does everyone at Rikkaidai, asking if Harumi and I want to move in with them. I always refused; I was never one to run away from my problems.

"Big Sis, can I come in?" I heard Harumi call through the door.

"Sure," I called back, only loud enough for her to hear. She quietly opened the door and slipped inside.

"What is it rascal?" I asked, sitting up.

"I heard Mom and you fighting and I just wanted to make sure you were okay. She didn't hit you did she?" Harumi asked. I thought about telling her for a second, but didn't. She didn't need more problems.

"No, I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me," I said.

"Okay, Big Sis, as long as you're okay," She said. I smiled at her and she smiled widely at me.

"Harumi! Can you help me with the garden!?" Our Mom called from the backyard.  
"Okay, I'm coming!" Harumi yelled before hugging me and running off. I sighed and flopped on my bed again.

What was life so difficult? Why couldn't Harumi and I just have a regular family instead of a sex addict mom and no good dad? I groaned and looked at the time. It was 5:20. I was really tired. I yawned, set my alarm to go off 2 hours from now and took off my glasses. As I began to doze off, I began to think of the name. The name that took my tennis career away from me. The one who I hated the most, and wasn't going to take any crap from anymore:

Suzuki Hikari. My younger twin sister.


	2. The Regulars

"Big Sis! Wake up before Mom comes in and wakes you!" Harumi shook me awake. I looked at the time. 7:00 AM!? I thought I set my alarm for PM! I glanced at my alarm and say I had set it for 7:20 AM. I groaned and my stomach rumbled. Since Mom got mad at me last night, I didn't have dinner. She was just such a…. ugh.

"Big sis! Snap out of it! You have to be at the National Tournament finals in 40 minutes!" Harumi yelled. I blinked, and stood up quickly.

"I'll leave you alone so that you can change," Harumi said. I nodded and she quickly rushed out, closing the door behind her. I quickly changed into blue capris, a white shirt with black sleeves and the Superman symbol on it, and put my glasses on. I quickly grabbed my wallet and put it in my back pocket.

"Big Sis, are you ready?" Harumi asked.

"Sure am!" I said while opening the door," Well, almost. I still have to brush my hair and brush my teeth." Harumi giggled.

"Well then, get to it! You don't want to be late! Remember what happened last time you were late?" Harumi asked. I shivered at the thought. Sanada had gotten mad at me and said,"Tarundoru!"

I quickly rushed to the bathroom and brushed my hair and teeth at the same time, barely though. I'm bad at multitasking.

"Big Sis! I put you some bread in the toaster oven!" Harumi called from downstairs.

"Okay thanks!" I called back. I quickly went back to my room, put on my socks and nearly fell down the stairs trying the get down them.

"Big sis, you now have 30 minutes to get to the National Tournament finals. Are you sure you're going to make it?" Harumi asked.

"Come on, have a little bit more faith in your big sis," I said jokingly. Harumi giggled and I smiled widely. It was times like these when life was at its best. Harumi and I just smiling, laughing and having fun without our mother coming in and ruining it all.

"By the way, where is Mom?" I asked.

"Still sleeping. She stayed up late last night, so she shouldn't wake up for a while," Harumi said. I nodded and looked at the time. I had a mini panic attack and sighed.

"Well, it's time for me to go," I said as I bent down to Harumi's eye level and kissed her on the forehead," Have fun and stay out of trouble. I'll see you when I get back."

"I love you Big Sis. I hope you have fun."

"I love you too Harumi. I'll be going now."

I hugged her tightly and grabbed my toast in the toaster over before going and putting on my black sneakers and ran out the door. I ran all the way to the arena where the finals were being held, nearly choking on my toast at least 3 times before getting there. As I got there, I saw the Rikkaidai regulars entering the arena.

"Hey guys!" I called to them. They all stopped and looked at me. When they saw me, almost all of them smiled widely and waved to me. Everyone except Sanada. Geez, he was such a pain in the ass when he was serious. Which was all the time.

"Amaya-chan! You made it!" Marui said as I reached them. I smiled.

"Yup, but I'm glad I made it in time. I got a late start," I said.

"Since when don't you get a late start?" Niou asked. I glared at him, and he took the hint to shut his mouth.

"Suzuki-san, you really shouldn't glare at people, it's-"

"Not ladylike, yeah, yeah," I cut Yagyuu off before he could say it.

Yagyuu shook his head at me and then averted his attention elsewhere.

"So, how have you been? You haven't been getting into trouble like usual have you?" Jackal asked.

"Trouble? Since when do I get in trouble?" I asked.

"Since you steal things and even though you sometimes get caught, it's when you steal big things like clothes and electronic devices," Jackal reminded me.

"I almost got away with the game. If only that employee hadn't seen me at the register," I said.

"You're ruining your life that way Amaya-chan. Do the Seigaku regulars know you do this stuff?" Yukimura asked. I grimaced and sighed. They would be so disappointed to know that I've resorted to stealing things to get my anger out.

"No, they don't. But if any of you tell them, I swear I'll-"

"You'll what? You know they would hate to know this kind of thing. You mean the world to them, and you mean the world to us. We're not telling you to stop, since it's your life. But maybe you should think about how others are going to be impacted by your actions," Yanagi said. I sighed, knowing that the words he was saying were true.

"Anyways, let's go inside. The atmosphere is getting too heavy here," Marui said. Everyone else nodded and walked in. I quietly follow about 5 feet behind them, although only Kirihara seemed to notice. We signed in and went to the little parlor they have at every finals meet.

"Do we know the lineup properly?" Sanada asked. Everyone nodded. I really couldn't care less about the lineup. It's not like I was playing.

"Hello, earth to Amaya-sempai!" Kirihara waved his hand in my face and I pushed his hand away.

"What now Kirihara-kun?" I asked.

"Sanada-fukubuchou wants to speak to you alone. Don't ask why. He said to meet him in the arena in 5 minutes, so I would rush there," Kirihara said. I groaned and took Jackal's soda before running off.

It didn't take me long to find Sanada. He was at the entrance of the arena. If he had been standing a little bit more near the door, I would have hit him with it. I, of course, would have laughed.

"You came," He said bluntly.

"You can't disobey the fukubuchou's orders. It's against the rules," I said. Sanada grunted and I giggled. "Anyways, is there a reason you called me here, or can I leave?" I asked.

"I obviously said to meet me here for a reason," Sanada said. I rolled my eyes.

"So, can you say that reason so that I can leave? The sooner you say it the sooner I can go," I said, pointing behind me, towards the door. Sanada grimaced at me and I shrugged.

"I just wanted you to know, with the route you're going with your life, you're not going to get anywhere good. I'm not telling you specifically to stop doing what you're doing if you don't want to, but I think you should stop. That is, if you want to get Harumi and yourself out of that house," He said, I sighed. I knew what I was doing wasn't the right thing to do at all.

"I know that all that you said is true, but stealing and getting in fights is a way to get my anger out. Why can't you see that?" I asked. Sanada's eyes flashed to look at me. They were filled with an emotion I knew quite well, since I experienced it a lot myself. Anger.  
"Do you know how selfish you sound? 'It's a way to get my anger out' my ass! You probably don't even care about Harumi do you? If you were given the opportunity to leave, but had to leave without Harumi, I bet you'd take it in a heartbeat," Sanada said. I growled.

"Really? I'm the selfish one? For your information, I love Harumi with all my heart, and I would not leave her there with that bitch I have to call mom if it was the only option I had! Besides, I think the only selfish one here is you! All you care about is yourself, tennis, and your BOYFRIEND Yukimura!" I yelled. Sanada was taken aback by the last part.

"Did you just say…. Boyfriend?" Sanada asked.

"Yes, I did! We all know it's true, since he's all you talk about!" I yelled. I say Sanada's lip twitch and I knew that I had made him extremely mad with that comment.

"You selfish, self-centered little brat! Why do I even waste time caring about your future when it's obviously something you yourself don't even care about? I'm through talking to you," Sanada said.

"Going to go talk to your boyfriend?" I asked. That set him off the edge. He raised his hand that slapped me, but I bent down and put my arms over my head. I didn't feel any impact.

"Amaya-chan, look at me," Sanada said. His voice was a lot softer. I looked up and saw his soft brown eyes staring into my gray ones. "I'm sorry I almost hit you. It was out of line," He said.

He held out his hand for me to take and I looked at it in wonder, like it was the most amazing thing in the world. I took it and Sanada helped me stand fully.

"You're crying," Sanada said. I took my hand away from his and felt my face. I was crying, and crying badly at that. I wiped away my tears and shook my head. I was supposed to be strong, not a crybaby.

"Let us help you. We can help you and Harumi through all of this, instead of just having to watch you two suffer. It really hurts to see that," Sanada said.

"Sanada-kun, I-" My phone cut me off. "Um, excuse me for one moment," I said. Sanada nodded and I answered my phone.

"Yes?" I said.

"Amaya, come quick! You're mother abused Harumi badly, and now she's in a coma! You need to come to the hospital quickly!" My father, who's voice I hadn't heard in ages, frantically told me. My eyes widened

"I'll be there soon," I said. I hung up and turned to Sanada.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Harumi's in the hospital!" I yelled. Sanada sensed the urgency and nodded.

"You go on ahead, I'll tell the others. We'll meet up with you at the hospital," Sanada said. I nodded and ran out of the arena. Many thoughts were going in and out of my head, but there was one that I really thought was:

'Harumi, please be okay!'


	3. At the Hospital

**Chapter 3:**

I quickly ran, my legs burning and tears obstructing my view. I shouldn't have left Harumi alone in the house with that monster. No, that bitch! I should have taken her with me! As I reached the hospital, I rushed inside and slammed my hands on the reception desk.

"Is there something I can help you with?" The receptionist asked.

"I need the Suzuki Harumi's room number! Now!" I said.

"May I ask your relationship with her?" The receptionist asked.

"I'm her sister god damn it! Now let me see her!" I yelled, causing everyone in the room to look at me. Some shook their heads and some sighed.

"She's in room 109," The receptionist told me. 109? The same room that Yukimura was in when he was in the hospital? I ran down the hall and pushed the elevator button frantically. The elevator wasn't coming down fast enough, so I ran up the stairs. As soon as I got in front of the room, I froze. I have no idea why I stopped, I just did.

"Amaya-chan!" Marui's voice took me out of the trance I was in. I looked to the left and saw all of the Rikkaidai regulars.

"You guys," I said softly.

"Have you gone in yet?" Yukimura asked. I shook my head.

"I don't think I have the guts to," I said.

"We'll walk in with you Amaya-sempai," Kirihara said, I looked at all of them and they nodded. I nodded as well and reached for the handle of the door. You could cut the tension with a knife. My hand was shaking and I was sweating all over. What was Harumi going to look like? She must look pretty bad. I shook the thoughts from my head and turned the doorknob. As we all walked in, the scene was bad. Everyone was there. My mom, my dad, lawyers, and…. Her. Suzuki Hikari.

"Amaya! I didn't expect you to come!" My mom said. I didn't say anything to her. I just glared at her.

"I told her about what you did to Harumi," My dad said.

"Why? It's not like she needs to know!" My mom yelled.

"She seems to be the only one in your house who cares about Harumi! I told you, you need to control your anger! This is why I should have taken custody of Amaya and Harumi. This is the reason why you don't deserve to be a mother!" My dad yelled. My mother was taken aback.

"If this little brat wasn't so annoying, this wouldn't have happened! She's so self-centered ad selfish, I couldn't take it!" My mom yelled.

"I think the only one self-centered in our house is you. Father's right. You don't deserve to be a mother. A mother is supposed to love and nurture her kids, not hit them and blame them for your own self being unhappy," I decided to step in.

"That's it. Amaya, you're coming to move back in with me. The only thing is, I lost full custody of Harumi in court. She won't be able to come along," My father said.

"No," I said plainly.

"What? But I thought you wanted to get out of that house?" My father said.

"I do, but not without Harumi. It's either Harumi comes, or I stay," I said. My father was surprised, but nodded in understanding.

"If that is what you want to do, then you can do it. Although, are you sure you want to stay?" He asked. I nodded.

"I;m not leaving Harumi alone with that bitch," I said.

"That's no way to talk to your mother!" My mom said.

"I don't consider you my mother. I just consider you a disaster Harumi and I have to live with," I said. My mother was appalled.

"Big Sis…." I heard Harumi, all eyes looked her way. She was still in a coma.

"Sleep talking?" Marui said. I looked at Harumi in wonder, then smile.d.

"Big Sister, I haven't seen you in a long time, and yet you just ignore me. How mean," I heard Hikari say. Let me say, I don't like Hikari one bit. I hate every bone in her prissy little body.

"I don't like you. That's why I'm ignoring you at the moment. No, make that all the time," I said. Hikari rolled her eyes  
"You're just mad that I'm a better tennis player than you," She said. I growled.

"That's not relevant-"

"Yes it is! That's why you stopped playing tennis!"

Everyone looked at me.

"You said you stopped playing because it just wasn't a sport you wanted to play anymore. You quit because of jealousy?" Yukimura questioned.

"No! She's lying! Don't listen to a word out of her ugly mouth!" I said. Hikari smirked and I glared at her.

"Amaya-chan, I've never seen you act this way," Marui said. I grunted, I knew that if I stayed I was going to get in a fight with her. I quickly pushed all of the regulars out of my way and ran out the room, out of the hospital, all the way home. I just wanted to get away from people before I hurt someone. When I got home, I screamed so loudly, I was sure that the neighbors were going to knock on the door.

"Why does my mom always want to destroy Harumi and I's lives?!" I screamed. It was unbelievable. How could she do this to poor Harumi? Harumi never did anything to be selfish. She was the most unselfish person I knew! I sighed and flopped on my couch. Life was just too damn awful. I heard my cell phone ring and looked at the caller Id. It was Sanada. Even though I really didn't want to talk to anyone at the moment, I answered anyways.

"Hello? I said.

"Amaya-chan, are you okay? You seemed really mad when you left," He said. I sighed.

"I wish I could say that I was okay. Do you think that you guys could come over. I think I need support more than ever right now," I said. There was a long silence, and I had to make sure Sanada didn't hang up on me.

"We'll be there soon," Sanada said. I smiled faintly.

"Thank you," I said. I hung up and just let my body go limp. I was so many emotions at one time. Happy, angry, confused. It just all came together in a big blur.

After about 10 minutes, there was a knock on the door. I sighed and got up to open it. I looked through the peephole to make sure it wasn't my mom, because she doesn't take her key, and noticed the Seigaku regulars were there as well. I gulped and opened the door slowly.

"Amaya-chan," Sanada said. I nodded and allowed all of them in. I grabbed lots of snacks and soda and got everyone seated in the living room.

"Amaya-chan, we need to talk about something important with you before we talk about what happened with Harumi," Tezuka said. I blinked, confused. Then it hit me. They had told Seigaku about what I had been doing. I sighed. This was going to be a long talk.


	4. The Talk and Mama Drama

As soon as Tezuka said those words, everything went silent.

"Please don't tell me it's about what I think it is," I said, looking at the Rikkaidai regulars. They all nodded and I groaned loudly.

"Why would you steal and get in fights? It's not like you," Fuji said. I grimaced.

"I've changed since I left Seigaku," I said.

"Clearly," Tezuka said. I sighed.

"I never wanted you guys to find out. I thought you'd be really disappointed," I said.

"We are disappointed. We never thought that you would resort to…. All that," Fuji said.

"I told you I know what I'm doing."

"Clearly you don't know."  
I grimaced at Fuji's words and looked at everyone else in the room. They all had concerned looks on their faces.

"You do know that just because you haven't gone to juvenile hall yet doesn't mean you'll never go right?" Jackal broke the silence.

"I know. I'm just trying to get away with it all before I have to go," I said. Tezuka sighed and rubbed his temples, clearly becoming irritated with me.

"Anyways, if this is all you guys are here for, please feel free to leave," I said, mainly directing it towards Seigaku.

"Ama-nyan, you really need to stop doing these things! If you go to juvenile hall, who's going to take care of Harumi?" Eiji asked.

"I already failed to take care of Harumi. She's in the hospital, and it's all because I left her here. It's too late to be talking about taking care of her and keeping her safe," I said. I felt a hand grip mine and looked at the person who's hand it was. It was Oishi.

"I know you don't want to hear any of this, but please stop what you're doing. You're not only hurting your future by doing this, but have you ever thought about how your decisions are affecting Harumi? She could be suffering just as much as you are," Oishi explained. I blinked and looked down. I had never thought about it like that before. Was Harumi really suffering? Wouldn't she tell me if she was? This was Harumi after all. She told everyone what she was thinking at every moment of the day, which is why she was so loveable.

"I-I never thought about it like that," I mumbled, tears forming in my eyes.

"Amaya!" Everyone yelled, rushing to comfort me.

"I can't believe that Harumi might be suffering emotionally from what I'm doing! Why can't I do anything right!?" I cried. Oishi held me tightly.

"It's going to be okay Amaya-chan. It's going to be okay. You do a lot of things right. Who's the person who always makes Harumi happy every single day, just by being her sister? Just by saying that you love her every day? You're the only one who can make Harumi happy just by being there. You mean a lot to Harumi, she's even told us that you're the only one she trusts in your household. You mean a lot to Harumi, Amaya. You do a lot of things right," Marui said, grabbing my hand. I looked at him and gripped his hand back.

"Ama-nyan, are you going to change how you do things? If you get angry, just talk to Harumi, or get a pet so you can play with it when you're angry. There are other ways to get your anger out," Eiji said.

"I know. I just never really looked into them before. But I'll take everyone's advice and stop doing bad things. If Harumi gets taken away because I go to juvenile hall, she won't survive a day in a foster home. I don't trust anyone who I don't know well with Harumi. I make a promise to you guys, and to Harumi, that I will change. I'm not going to act like this anymore," I said. Everyone smiled at me.

"That's taking a very big step forward Amaya-chan. We're proud of you," Yukimura said. I smiled at everyone and they smiled back. It was a heart-warming moment.

"But, we still need to talk about Harumi," Tezuka brought up. How come it was always Tezuka who brought the bad things up?

"Harumi is going to get out of that coma. She's strong enough," I said.

"She is. We all know this," Fuji said. Everyone nodded.

"Hey Amaya! Open the damn door already!" I heard my mom call through the door. I groaned.

"Don't worry Amaya, we've got this," Yukimura said, getting up.  
"Wait, what are you doing?" I asked, tearing away from Oishi, my heart rate going up.

"We're not letting you stay here Amaya-chan. You don't deserve this treatment, and neither does Harumi. You're not staying here. Akaya, get Harumi's things. Marui, get Amaya-chan's things. I'll deal with the mother," Yukimura said.  
"W-Wait! You have no idea how much trouble I'll get in if you do anything!" I yelled.

"Amaya! Hurry up and open the fucking door!" My mom yelled, clearly irritated.

"Amaya, we're going to protect you. Don't worry," Oishi said, trying to calm me. It didn't work, as I began to hyperventilate.

"Amaya, you have 3 seconds to open this god damn door. If you don't open it, I'm going to pick the fucking lock and beat the shit outta you when I get in there!" My mom threatened, making me grip Oishi's hand tightly. Yukimura quickly went and opened the door while Marui and Akaya went up the stairs.

"Yukimura-kun? What are you doing here?" My mom asked as she came into the living room. She saw me and she glared at me.

"What lies are you spreading now you damn brat?" She said.

"I-I'm not lying about anything! You are a horrid mother and everyone knows it!" I yelled.

"I'm a very good mother! You're just a spoilt brat!" My mother yelled. I shrunk down into Oishi's shoulder and my mother grinned.

"Oh I see, you're just being a little slut like usual. What did I tell you? If you get pregnant, I'm not paying for the abortion!" My mother yelled, making about ¾ of the people in the room look at her in disgust.

"I'm not a slut. I'm still a virgin," I said. My mother laughed.

"Yeah right. Anyways boys, I would like it if you all left. My daughter and I need to have a little chat," My mother said.

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid we'll be taking Amaya-chan," Yukimura said.

"Excuse me? You can't do that," My mother said.

"Of course we can. Amaya-chan deserves better than what you give her. She's a nice human being, and you're worse than scum," Sanada said, glaring at my mother from under his hat.

"I'll call the cops on you if you take her one STEP from this house," My mother said.

"And tell them what? That you want to keep Amaya-chan here so you can beat her up all day? I don't think that's going to happen," Fuji said. My mother glared at me and I looked away from her. Her glare was so intense, I couldn't look at her.

"Yukimura-buchou, we have all of their stuff," Marui said, coming down with all my stuff, Akaya following close behind with Harumi's stuff.

"Put all of that back, now," My mother said. She was just so persistent.

"I'm sorry, but Amaya-chan's not staying here. Come on Amaya-chan," Yukimura coaxed me as everyone got up and began walking out the door. I was the last one to get up and begin walking out the door.

"No you don't !" My mother said, grabbing a large clump of my hair, making me grab her wrist.

"Amaya-chan!" I heard Fuji yell.

"You don't deserve to have a good life. I do. If anyone gets to escape into a world of happiness, it should be me, not a stupid slut like you," My mother said. This time, I actually got the courage to say something smart-assy to her.

"Please, don't get us confused," I said. That seemed to set her off.

"What did you just say?" She was furious. She pulled my hair harder than she had been before and I could have sworn she was trying to pull my hair out of my head.

"You think you're so great just because you have people who want to protect you from the "oh so bad" mom. You're just as bad as me sweetheart, don't try to act innocent," My mother said.

"What do you mean?" I asked, hoping she wasn't going to bring up THAT incident.

"Don't act dumb. I mean the time you hit Harumi," My mother said. Everyone looked at me in surprise.  
"What did she just say?" Yukimura asked. My mom threw me to the ground.

"Go on, tell them about how you hit Harumi. I'm sure they'd love to hear about it," My mom said with a smug look on her face.

"Amaya-chan, what is she talking about?" Tezuka asked as he helped me sit up. I looked down for a second.

"It's true. I did hit Harumi once," I said. Everyone was surprised.

"It was all because she couldn't handle her anger!" My mother said. I was appalled.

"If you guys want to know about that, you need to hear the whole story. Everyone might want to sit down again. This might take a while," I said


	5. Harumi, The Truth, and Cake

**Chapter 5:**

Everyone sat down silently, and my mom had a smug look on her face.

"What's this about? What do you mean, you hit Harumi?" Tezuka asked. I looked down, feeling very uncomfortable.

"Yes, I hit Harumi. It was one of the worst mistakes I've ever made," I said.  
"What happened? Why did you hit Harumi!?" Marui was getting mad.

"I know it was wrong! I should have held in my anger better!" I yelled.

"Held in your anger? What are you talking about?" Eiji asked.

"This is what happened. My mom and I got into an argument and it was really bad as well. I was so angry, I just wanted to hit something or someone, particularly my mother," I said, glaring at her.

"Just continue with the damn story brat," She said.

"Anyways, Harumi I guess had heard the argument, and tried to comfort me. But I was in a blind rage. When she tried to comfort me, I just, lashed out and hit her on the head really hard. It wasn't my intention, but I couldn't stop myself," I began to cry.

"Amaya-chan, you should have held it in, or gone for a walk instead of going to your room. You know that Harumi checks up on you," Yukimura said.

"I know! I should have handled it better!" I yelled.

"See? She doesn't care about Harumi. She's just an anger machine," My mom said.

"I'm not an anger machine! You make the worst of me come out! If you weren't here, if I didn't have to deal with you every day, I would be the happiest person on the planet! Harumi and I wouldn't have to worry about having to get home on a ridiculous curfew! We wouldn't have to deal with your abuse!" I yelled.

"Calm down Amaya-chan, it's going to be okay," jackal said, hugging me tightly. I cried into his shoulder, and I heard my mom scoff.

"Amaya-chan, please don't cry. You're right; people like you and Harumi deserve to be happy. You don't deserve to be angry all the time," Fuji said. My tears calmed down slightly, and I looked at everyone from the crook of Jackal's shoulder.

"G-Guys," I stuttered, trying my best not to break out crying again. Gah, I must have looked like such a big BABY at the moment! Jackal rubbing my side and his hot breath hitting my face surprising began to calm me down.

"Are you going to take her now that you know she hit Harumi?" My mom asked.

"Of course. Her anger that triggered the event was caused by you after all," Yanagi said.

"G-Guys, you d-don't have to d-do that," I mumbled.

"We're doing this because we want to Amaya-chan, let us help you," Marui said. I just nodded and I gripped Jackal's shirt tightly.

"Let us take Amaya-chan. You say you don't even want them anymore, yet you fight to keep them? Why?" Fuji asked.

"Fine, take them. I don't care anymore," My mom said. I looked at her in awe and looked at everyone smiled.

"Come on Amaya-chan, let's go get you somewhere safe," Tezuka said. I nodded and latched myself onto Kaidoh's arm.

"Suzuki-sempai, you don't have to be scared you know," Kaidoh said.

"I-I know, I just want to be safe," I stuttered.

"Let's go Amaya-chan," Marui said, grabbing my hand. I squeezed his hand and we all walked out of the house. I looked backwards slightly. My mother was glaring at me and I squeezed Marui's hand even harder, making him look at me.

"Who's house are we going to let them stay at?" Yukimura asked.

"I can let one stay at my house. I don't know about 2 though," Marui said.

"I can't let Harumi out of my sight when she gets out of the hospital! We have to stay together!" I yelled.

"Amaya-chan, I think I know someone who can help. You may not like the idea, but it's the only thing I can think of at the moment," Tezuka said.

"What's the idea?" I asked.

"You can stay with Atobe."

…

"WHAT!?"

I was shocked. "You know how much I hate Atobe! That's one thing that isn't going to work," I said. Atobe was so arrogant, so egotistic; I just wanted to punch him in the face every time I got near him.

"Amaya-chan, think about it. You may not like Atobe, but Harumi seems to like him. If none of us can take both of you, then Atobe is your only option," Tezuka said.

"I know. I know," I said. "Wait, if I go with Atobe, will I be able to keep going to Rikkaidai?"

"Probably not. Hyotei is too far from Rikkaidai," Yukimura said. I groaned.

"Come on!" I yelled.

"Um… Yukimura-buchou? Can we please leave? These bags are heavy," Akaya said.

"Right, let's figure this out later. Amaya-chan probably doesn't want to be here any longer," Yukimura said. Everyone nodded and we began to walk to Sanada's house, since it was the closest.

"Amaya-chan, do you know how Harumi's doing?" Marui asked. I shook my head.

"We gave the hospital your number, so they could tell you when she woke up," Tezuka said.

"Okay, thanks," I said. Almost on cue, my phone began to ring. I picked it up.

"Hello?" I said.

"Hello, is this Suzuki Amaya?" A woman's voice asked.

"Yes this is. May I help you?" I asked.  
"I just wanted to inform you that Suzuki Harumi has woken up. It appears that she was not in a coma, but just knocked out," The woman said.

"Harumi's awake?" I said, getting the attention of everyone.

"She is! She's ready to go home, so she'll be here when you're ready to pick her up," The woman said.

"O-Okay, thank you!" I said. I was shaking with excitement.

""Harumi's awake?" Marui asked. I nodded happily.

"After we drop off this stuff, let's go get her," Yukimura said. Everyone nodded and our pace seemed to quicken. We got to Sanada's house after about 5 minutes and dropped off my stuff before we ran to the hospital. We ran into the doors and stopped to catch our breath.  
"Big Sis!" I saw Harumi running towards me.

"Harumi!" I began to cry as I hugged her tightly.

"Harumi, are you all right?" I asked.

"I'm fine Big Sis. You don't have to cry," Harumi said, wiping my tears away. I smiled.

"Harumi, we're not going to the place we have to home anymore," I said.

"Huh? Why not?" She asked.

"Our mother, is, how should I put this?" I asked, glancing behind me.

"Your mother is being a bitch?" Marui said.  
"Bunta!" Sanada scolded, making Marui shrug.

"Mom kicked us out of the house. We're most likely going to live with Atobe-san," I said.

"Yay, Atobe!" Harumi said. I groaned.

"How can you stand that arrogant son of a –"

"AMAYA!" Everyone yelled at me.

"Sorry, sorry," I said.

"Atobe's not a bad guy. You just have to look beyond his egotistic nature and arrogance!" Harumi said

"At least we think the same about him," I said,"Anyways let's get out of here."

Harumi nodded and we began walking back to Sanada's house.

"Big Sis, my legs are getting tired," Harumi said. I looked at her and went down on my knee.

"Get on my back, I'll give you a piggy back ride," I said.

"Okay~!" Harumi said, hopping on my back which made me stumble a little bit. I stood back up and steadied Harumi on my back.

"Big Sis, what's with this bruise right here?" Harumi said, pointing at the side of my face.

'Shit! The time my mom slapped me must have really left a mark!' I thought.

"U-Um, that's n-nothing," I stuttered, looking at everyone for help.

"Big Sis, did Mom hit you before you left?" Harumi asked. I gulped. I didn't want to tell her the truth.

"Um, no! I just tripped and scraped my face on the ground. I didn't get hit," I said, making everyone look sympathetically at me.

"Big Sis, I know this is from the time you came home late," Harumi said. I stopped dead in my tracks and looked at her.

"W-What do you mean? I told you nothing happened," I said.

"I saw her slap you. That's why she knocked me out, because I brought it up with her and told her not to hurt you anymore," Harumi said.

"H-Harumi," I said," You risked almost dying…. To protect me?"

"Of course! You're my Big Sis! We're supposed to protect each other," Harumi said.

"I don't think I did the best job with the protecting."

"You always protect me, it was my turn to protect you."

I swore I was going to cry again. Harumi was just the best little sister ever.

"We're here. Come on, I'll contact Atobe and see what he says," Tezuka said. Harumi and I nodded and walked into Sanada's house, being almost instantly greeted by his mother. I put down Harumi and Sanada's mother smiled at us both.

"Why hello there! How are you both?" She asked.

"Not too shabby," I said, lying directly through my teeth.

"That's good! Genichiro, how long will your friends be staying?" His mom asked, almost completely ignoring me.

"I have no clue. Harumi and Amaya may need to spend the night," Sanada said.  
"And your other friends?"

"They won't need to spend the night."

"Genichiro, your father and I are going out tonight, which is why I asked," His mom said. Her eyes seemed to light up, and I knew she was going to say something weird.

"Oh, I see! Well you two, remember to keep the tone down and use protection!" She said.

"HUH!?"

"What? Aren't you two going to make love?" Sanada's mom asked. I saw Fuji cover Harumi's ears, and she gave him a confused look.

"NO! That's not at all what's going to happen! We just need a place to stay until I can figure things out!" I said.

"Oh! Well, why didn't you just say that?" Sanada's mom said, making me facepalm.

"Anyways, I'm going to the grocery store to get some things. Call me if you need anything, okay honey cake?" She said, pinching Sanada's cheek. I chuckled lightly and Sanada blushed lightly.

"Okay Mom, I'll talk to you later," Sanada said. Sanada's mom winked at me and grabbed her things before leaving.

"Big Sis, what's making love?" Harumi asked.

"It's something that grown people do. You don't need to know about it until you're a lot older," I said.

"Okay, but is it bad?" Harumi asked.

"It depends on the situation," I said.

"Well, I don't think we should all just stand around here. Let's go in the living room," Sanada said. Everyone nodded and we all crowded into the living room.

"Tezuka, why don't you get a hold of Atobe and ask him about Harumi and Amaya staying with him. We'll just sit here and see what happens," Sanada said. Tezuka nodded and got up, walking out of the room and pulling out his phone.  
"So, you guys want some cake? I stored some in Sanada's fridge the last time I was here," Marui said.

"Sure !' Harumi said.

"Sure, whatever," I said, making Marui pout at me.

"You have to say it happily like Harumi! Or you don't get any cake!" Marui said.

"Yay! Cake!" I said sarcastically. Marui puffed his cheeks out and I sighed.  
"Can I please… Just get some cake?" I asked. Marui smiled at me and nodded.

"Big Sis, what if Atobe says no? What are we going to do?" Harumi asked.

"I don't know. But I'll figure something out," I said.

"We'll figure something out you mean," Yukimura said.

"R-Right," I said.

"Here, cake," Marui said, handing both Harumi and I a plate.

"Thank you Uncle Marui!" Harumi said.

"Thanks Marui," I said.

"No problem," he said, giving us both a smile.

"Hey Uncle Fuji, how's Uncle Yuuta?" Harumi asked.

"He's doing quite well, and his tennis is improving greatly," Fuji said, of course with a smile. Like usual.

"That's good! When I grow older, I want to be good at tennis like all of you!" Harumi said," Or maybe I can see people's weaknesses on sight like Big Sis!"

"Those are good goals to look forward to. But you know what you have to do to reach those goals right?" I said.

"Practice, practice, practice," Harumi said. I nodded and Tezuka came out of the room he was in.

"Atobe said he wants to speak to Amaya in person about a deal," He said.

"A deal? What kind of deal?" I asked.

"He wouldn't say. He said that his limo was going to be here to pick you up in about an hour," He said.

"Okay, well, mind as well enjoy this hour. Who knows what kind of deal that man has on his mind?" I said.


	6. The Deal

It got loud quite quickly during the hour. Everyone was trying their best to either guess what Atobe wanted, or trying to keep Harumi entertained.

"Seriously, it's been an hour. Where is this no good freak of nature?" I asked.

"Calling me a no good freak of nature isn't nice you know," I heard that annoying voice hit my eardrum.

"Atobe, just say what you want," I said, looking into the limo.  
"Into the limo you go," Atobe said as his butler opened the door. I groaned and got in, his butler closing the door after me. Atobe closed the window and nodded, making the limo go.

"Where are we going?" I asked, slightly confused and slightly angry.

"To my palace," He said simply, making me roll my eyes.

"You know you don't actually own a palace right?" I asked.

"Of course I do. And you shall be seeing it soon," Atobe said. I groaned. This was going to be a long ride.

My phone vibrated in my pocket about 10 minutes into the trip.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Big Sis! Where are you?" Harumi's worried voice hit my eardrum.

"I'm in the torture chamber known as Atobe's limo. We're going to his "palace" to talk," I said, the word palace sliding off my tongue very sarcastically.

"His palace?" Harumi giggled," Atobe doesn't own a palace. He owns a house."

"He doesn't seem to believe that," I said, glancing at him.

"Anyways Big Sis, I'm staying the night at Sanada's house tonight. We're going to play board games and watch scary movies!" Harumi squealed.

"No scary movies. You know you get nightmares," I said.

"But I can just sleep with you when you get back! Then I won't have any nightmares!" Harumi whined.

"Okay, okay. Hey, can I talk to Sanada?" I asked.

"Huh? Oh sure!" Harumi said," Big Sis wants to talk to you." Sanada's deep voice spoke through a couple seconds later.  
"Yes?" Was all he said.

"Sanada… Please take care of Harumi. She's been through a lot," I said.

"I will. Don't worry. But it sounds like you've also been through a lot. What did Atobe say?" Sanada asked.

"We're talking at his "palace". I just really want to lay down for a while and get some rest," I said.

"You sound like you need it. Well, Harumi wants me to play Chutes and Ladders with her. I must get off the phone now," Sanada said.

"Okay, I'll see you both when I get back," I said.  
"Amaya, you're strong. Stronger than me. I look up to you for that reason."

"Really? I'm flattered Sanada."

"R-Right."

"Ha-ha, Uncle Sanada's blushing!"

"H-Harumi!"

"Don't worry, you're crush on Big Sis is no secret to me!"

"Well, on that very embarrassing note, I shall talk to you later. Bye."

"Bye."

I hung up my phone and yawned. This was the most boring road trip ever. After about 3 minutes had gone by, Atobe spoke again.

"We're here," He said. Wait, what? We had only traveled for 15 minutes! I looked out the window and was awed by what I saw.

"I told you, this is my palace," Atobe said.

"Whatever," I said, climbing out before his butler could open the door.

"You seem angry."

"You piss me off."

I glared at him and he put his arm around my waist, but I smacked his hand and walked off while he soothed it. Atobe showed me into his "palace" and I was in awe. This guy really was TOO rich.

"Where the hell do you get all your money from? I'm pretty sure you could buy Japan with the amount of money you have," I said.

"Places," was all Atobe answered with.

"Right, like your dad's wallet?" I retorted.

"You're being pretty smart-alecky to someone who is supposed to give you and your sister a place to live."

"It was never my idea to get help from you."

Atobe chuckled and I glared at him. He just thought he was all that. He led me into a large room with a giant chandelier and chairs that looked like they cost a fortune. Maybe I should take one. I shook my head and mentally slapped myself. No, no more stealing. I'm going away from that path now.

"Please, take a seat," Atobe said, sitting on his loveseat and patting the spot next to him. I sat on the sofa across from him, making him frown.

"You don't want to sit next to Ore-sama?" Atobe said, making me roll my eyes. Every time he called himself that, it just made me hate him even more.

"No, I don't want to sit next to you. I would actually like to not be here, but I have to stand your arrogance for Harumi's sake," I said.

"Harsh words from such a pretty lady."

"Don't try to flatter me you-"

I stopped myself. Anything I said could possibly be used against me, and I wasn't going to take the risk, knowing the odds. Atobe seemed surprised that I had stopped.  
"I was expecting a smart-ass comment out of your mouth."

"Well, you didn't get one. Disappointed?"

"Slightly."

Everything was silent for a while. "Are we going to get this over with or what? I want to leave soon," I said.

"I know, now here's the details-"

_Hop Step de odorou ka_

_Sekai no sumikko de wan-tsuu_

_Chotto kuratto shisou ni naru_

_Shuumatsukan o tanoshinde_

My phone rang loudly, and I blinked. It was on vibrate a couple minutes ago! Atobe looked at me with a blank expression and I looked at my phone. It was my mom. Why would she be calling me? I sent it to voicemail and wondered if she was going to leave a threatening voicemail or not. I was going to find out sooner or later though.

"I know that song. World's End Dancehall by Hatsune Miku and Megurine Luka, am I right?" Atobe asked. I nodded slowly.

"How'd you know that?"

"Harumi says you are quite fond of that song. It scares her a little bit."

"Why are you talking to Harumi without my knowledge? Who the hell do you think you are!?"

"Someone who's on the brink of kicking you out! But I'm not going to because I'm not going to let Harumi live on the streets while you get your life, which you so easily screwed up, back on track."  
Atobe was furious. He was standing out of his seat, and his eyes were filled with a hate I'd never seen from him before. I shivered a little bit from his glare at me, and I looked away from him.

"Look at me, Amaya."

I shook my head. I wasn't going to look at him. I didn't have the strength, nor the willpower to look at him. His fingers gripped my chin and turned my head to look at him.

"Here's what I'm proposing. We get married. You and Harumi get to stay in this house. You still get to go to Rikkaidai, and you can pretend we're not married. But you cannot date other guys. That's what the deal is," Atobe said. I looked at him like he was crazy.

"I, get married to you?" I asked. Atobe just nodded, and I blinked. We both went silent, Atobe's clammy fingers still holding my chin, although not as tightly as before.

It was about 5 minutes of silence before either of us said anything. I, of course, was the first one to say something. Not because I had something to say, just because the silence was killing me.

"I'll have to think about this a lot. I don't like you, Atobe Keigo. I hate every bone in your body. But I might have to put that hate aside if I want Harumi to be safe," I said.

"I also have something else in mind."

I was stunned. Another option? Yes please!

"W-What is that?"

"My family takes custody of Harumi and she can stay with me here. You can see her every day, and she'll be safe," Atobe said.

"There's no way in HELL I'm letting your family take custody of Harumi! Harumi is MY sister, and I'M going to be the one to take care of her! NOT YOU!" I yelled. Atobe was taken aback and backed away from me. I probably had a look that could kill on my face.

"Well, it's either that, or marriage. Take your pick."

I sighed. I wasn't going to let Atobe have Harumi. But I knew that I had to do it. I just had to put faith in my luck though, and maybe I wouldn't even need to do this.

"I'd better get to see Harumi every day, you damn no good freak of nature. But just remember, this is only if no one else can take both of us in."

"I understand that , and I'm glad you've gotten a tad bit more mature, even if that doesn't really show when you call people names I've heard from 6 year olds."

"Just shut up and take me back to Sanada's place. I have a match of Chutes and Ladders to get to."


	7. Gambling and Crying

**Chapter 7:**

Atobe took me home quite quickly after that. It was silent on the way back, making me wonder if I had made the right decision. Was Harumi really going to be safe? Was Atobe going to keep her from me if I gave his family custody, or would he keep his word? I sighed. All this thinking was giving me a headache.

"We're here. You don't have to give custody right away, but I think the sooner the better," Atobe said. I nodded, not really listening to him. He seemed to notice my lack of interest.

"You're not even listening to me are you?" He asked, agitated.

"Not really. But at least you noticed so I didn't have to tell you," I said. Atobe just rolled his eyes and unlocked the limo doors.

"I'll see you soon," He said as I climbed out and shut the door, not answering him. The limo drove off and I just stood there.

"Are you okay?" I heard Sanada's voice. I turned around and smiled.

"I'm fine, just a little rattled," I said. Sanada gave me a sympathetic look and I sighed.

"How's Harumi?" I asked.

"She's fine. You look really stressed though," Sanada said.

"I do? I feel like crap," I said. Sanada waved me in the house and Harumi hugged me tightly.

"I missed you!" She cried. I patted her soft black hair and smiled.

"I missed you too. Did I miss Chutes and Ladders?" I asked.

"Nope! Uncle Sanada and I were about to play another round," Harumi said with a bright smile.

"I think I'll watch that, "I said. Harumi squealed in delight and I took off my shoes. I walked into the living room and everyone was still there, apparently waiting for the next game of Chutes and Ladders to start. I walked into the room and everyone's eyes turned to me, making me stop in my tracks.

"Amaya-chan, what did Atobe say?" Fuji asked. I was reluctant to answer the question for obvious reasons.

"I'll tell you guys later," I said.

"Okay. But are you going to watch the next Chutes and Ladders match?" Marui asked. I gave him a dumbfounded look.

"We're placing bets and everything," Niou said.

"Aren't you a little bit too into this?" I asked.  
"Not at all!" Was everyone's response. All I did was shrug and place 500 yen on Harumi.

"Yay! Big Sis has placed her faith and money on me! I must win!" Harumi said.

"What'd you do to my sister?" I asked.

"Nothing, all we did was spike her love for gambling," Niou said, earning him a nice hit to the head. Everyone laughed and I giggled. Niou was flopping around on the floor like a fish. What an idiot.

"Anyways, we have to get the game underway!" Harumi said. Everyone nodded and finished making their bets. The game was surprisingly intense for a game made for kids. I guess playing with a room of middle school boys that made bets makes the game a lot more intense. In the end, Harumi won.

"Woot, pay up!" Marui, one of the few people who bet on Harumi, said. The rest of Rikkaidai and half of Seigaku paid up, and Marui said we had struck it rich.

"Uncle Marui, you have to buy us cake with that!" Harumi said. Marui ruffled her hair.

"Let's win another round first, shall we?" Marui asked. Harumi nodded and turned her attention to me.

"Are you betting again?" She asked.

"Why not?" I said, betting 1000 yen this time.

"You like to live dangerously, don't you?" Marui asked. I rolled my eyes.

"1000 yen isn't dangerous. 8000 yen would be dangerous," I said.

"Can't deny that," Marui said, blowing a bubble. It got bigger and bigger.

"Hey, watch it-"

Pop.

Gum was everywhere. It was mainly on my face and in my hair. I glared at Marui and he gave me a cheeky grin.

"You look like the loch ness monster-"

I cut Niou off with a smack to the head. I took all the gum off my face and split it in two, placing one part in Niou's hair and the other in Marui's hair.

"Hey!"

"Why my hair?"

They both complained like babies. It was kind of funny seeing them try to get it out without a mirror. I quickly ran up the stairs and snagged the bathroom before either of them could get there. I carefully got the gum out of my hair and sighed in relief. Luckily it wasn't stuck enough to leave residue in my hair. I went back downstairs and saw both Niou and Marui had gotten the gum out of their hair. Then I remembered something.

"What about the Nationals?" I asked.

"What about them?" Yukimura asked.

"Don't you have to practice for them?" I asked.

"We do, but let's get the situation at hand taken care of first," Fuji said. I nodded.

"By the way, what did Atobe say?" Sanada asked. I glanced at Harumi and everyone seemed to get the message.

"Harumi, do you want to watch TV?" Sanada asked.

"What about Chutes and Ladders?" Harumi asked.

"Let's take a little break from Chutes and Ladders," Sanada said.

"Okay, TV is cool," Harumi said. Sanada gave her the remote and she turned on the TV. She scrolled through the channels and finally settled on… _My Little Pony._

"Look Big Sis, it's Twilight Sparkle!" She said, pointing at a purple pony with a multicolored mane and a sparkle on her butt.

"Um, cool?" I said, thoroughly confused. Harumi giggled and averted her attention back to the TV.

"Now, what did Atobe say?" Fuji asked in a whisper.

"He gave me 2 options. Marry him-"

"Is he out of his mind?" Yukimura asked.  
"Possibly, but the other option was to give custody of Harumi to him," I said. Everyone stayed silent.

"Which did you choose?" Fuji asked.

"I chose custody, but only if none of you can take both of us," I said. Everyone nodded and looked at Harumi. The purple pony from earlier was singing.

_When I was just a filly_

_I found it rather silly_

_To see how many other ponies I could meet_

_I had my books to read_

_Didn't know that I would ever need_

_Other ponies, to make my life complete_

It was a nice song so far. I decided to listen some more.

_But there was one colt that I cared for_

_I knew he would be there for me_

_My big brother, best friend forever_

_Like two peas in a pod, we did everything together_

_He taught me how to fly a kite_

_Best friend forever_

_We never had a single fight_

_We did everything together_

It was Harumi and I's relationship in one song. Without the big brother part.

_We shared our hopes_

_We shared our dreams_

_I miss him more than I realized, it seems_

Then some other ponies joined in and sang the chorus again. I didn't really listen to that part. One part that really pulled my heartstrings was the ending.

_And though he's oh so far away, I hope that he would stay_

_My big brother best friend forever_

_Forever~_

"Are you okay?" I snapped out of the trance I was in and saw that everyone was staring at me, even Harumi.

"I'm fine, why do you ask?" I asked.

"You looked sad there. Just wanted to make sure," Fuji said. I blinked.

"Oh, well, I'm fine. Nothing to worry about," I said. Everyone nodded and started talking about how to keep Harumi from Atobe.

"I could ask my parents," Marui said.

"Good idea, I'll ask mine as well," Fuji said.

"Let's all ask our parents," Yukimura said. Everyone nodded and turned to me.

"Do you have any crackers in your house?" I asked.

"We should. Check the cabinet," Sanada said. I nodded and walked to the kitchen. I didn't grab anything though. I just sat on the floor, leaning on the stove, and cried. This was a lot to handle, and no matter how much I tried to look brave to keep Harumi from worrying, I just couldn't do it. I sat there and cried for a good 10 minutes before Fuji came in to see what was taking me so long.

"Amaya, are you okay?" Fuji asked, hugging me tightly.

"I wish I could say I was," I sniffled.

"It's going to be okay," He said.

"I wish it was so certain," I said. Fuji cradled my face with his hands and looked into my eyes, blue meeting grey.

"It's going to be okay. You and Harumi and going to be able to stay together, and you can protect each other. Everyone can protect you guys," Fuji said. I nodded and he hugged me one last time before helping me up. I grabbed some crackers and quietly munched on them as we went back into the living room. Everyone immediately crowded around me at the sight of my tear streaked face.

"I'm home!" Sanada's mom called. She came into the living room and saw everyone crowding around me.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"N-Nothing," Sanada said.

"Okay, well, I'm going to put these groceries in the kitchen," She said. Everyone nodded and she walked into the kitchen.

"Hey, I've had a long day. I'm ready to go to bed," I said.

"It's only…8:30?" Marui said.

"It's that late already?" Niou asked.

"We need to get home," Fuji said. Everyone nodded and we said our goodbyes before it was only Sanada, Harumi and I in the living room.

"Is it okay if I stay up with Uncle Sanada?" Harumi asked.

"That's up to him," I said, looking at Sanada.

"It's fine. I'll get her to bed at about 11 though," Sanada said.

"Wait, don't you go to bed at 9?' I asked.

"Usually, but I can stay up tonight," Sanada said.

"But we have school," I said. Sanada blinked.

"Okay," was all he said. I sighed and went up the stairs. I grabbed my underwear and one of Sanada's shirts, and got in the shower. I took a shower in 10 minutes and eased myself into the bath. I just sat there and thought about how weirdly everything was going. I sat there for a good 20 minutes before getting out and putting on the clothing I had gotten. I walked downstairs and saw Sanada and Harumi playing Chutes and Ladders again. Harumi was the first to notice me.

"Hey Big Sis!" She said, causing Sanada to look at me. A huge blush appeared on his face, and he looked away. I grinned and came up behind him, ruffling his hair.

"Why didn't you keep your old hairstyle?" I asked.

"Don't ask me," He said, the blush still on his face.

"Well, I'm going to go to bed now," I said.

"Okay Big Sis!" Harumi said, hugging me," Goodnight!"

"Goodnight Harumi. Good night Sanada," I said. Sanada's mom called Harumi in the kitchen for something and I turned to Sanada.

"Y-Yes?" He asked. I hugged him tightly and I felt him stiffen.

"Thank you. So much. I have no idea where Harumi and I would be if you hadn't offered your hospitality," I said. Sanada hugged me back.

"It's my pleasure. I couldn't let you both just go on the streets. It's not chivalrous, and it's just plain wrong," He said. I kissed his cheek, making him go a lot redder than before.

"You're a sweet person Sanada. You should show it more often," I said, breaking away from him and smiling. Sanada just nodded.

"Well, goodnight," I said, sitting on the couch.

"Wait," Sanada said," You can sleep in my room. Harumi can as well."

"Really? Where will you sleep?" I asked.

"I'll take the couch. It's fine," Sanada said.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

I shrugged and walked back up the stairs, finding Sanada's room with ease. It was pretty modern, or at least as modern as Sanada tried to make it. I noticed the bracelet I had gotten him 2 years ago and smiled. I climbed on his bed, took off my glasses, and sighed. The bed smelled like Sanada. It was quite calming. I felt myself drift to sleep. Maybe Fuji was right. Maybe everything was going to be fine.


	8. Almost kisses, Breakfast, and Rumors

**Chapter 8:**

I woke up the next morning and saw Harumi next to me. I quietly kissed her forehead and looked at the clock. It was 5 am. Sanada was most likely up already, probably practicing. I quietly got up, put on my glasses after looking around for them for about 2 minutes, and walked out into Sanada's yard. Sanada was there, practicing like I thought. Sanada noticed me and nodded at me.

"Good morning," I said.

"Good morning Amaya," Sanada said.

"Did you sleep well?" I asked.

"Sure did. I hope you did as well," I said.

"I did. You're up quite early though," Sanada said.

"I could say the same for you," I said with a smile. Sanada just smiled back and continued practicing. I watched him for a good 10 minutes before saying something again.

"Hey, can I see your racket?" I asked. Sanada looked at me in confusion and I smiled. I walked up to Sanada and he handed me his racket. I was getting ready to serve when Sanada poked my back. I looked at him and he shook his head.

"You shouldn't bend your back so much," He said.

I nodded and straightened my back out a little bit.

"Now it's too straight," Sanada said.

"You know I haven't done this in a while," I said.

"Here," He said, coming up behind me and straightening my back. I was about to serve when:

"Your grip is all wrong," Sanada said. Sanada softly gripped my hand and changed my grip. I looked away, my face heating up.

"Are you looking? I'm not going to always be here to fix your grip for you," Sanada said.

"R-Right," I said.

"Are you… blushing?"

"Shut it and just show me how to grip the damn tennis racket."

Sanada chuckled and finished fixing my grip. I looked at him.

"Any other things that I need to fix?" I asked. Sanada looked at me up and down and blushed.

"You're still only wearing my shirt," Sanada said.

"And?"

"And your knees are bent too much," Sanada said, bending down and straightening out my knees a little bit. I saw his eyes trail up a little bit, and glared at him.

"Keep your eyes on my legs please. Wait, don't keep your eyes on my legs. I mean-"

"You have pretty legs, you know that?" Sanada said. That didn't sound very Sanada-like.

"A-Are you okay? You don't sound like yourself," I said. Sanada stood up and lifted my chin up, so I was looking directly into his eyes.

"Amaya," he said, leaning in slowly.

Was he going to do what I think he was!?

He slowly got closer and closer.

HE'S GOING TO-

"Uncle Sanada, Big Sis, I'm hungry," Harumi said. Sanada and I tore away from each other and looked at her, our faces beet red. Harumi blinked at us, clearly wondering what was going on.  
"Here, let's get some breakfast," Sanada said, walking up to her and taking her hand.

"Are you coming Big Sis?" Harumi asked.

" Huh? Oh, of course," I said, quickly following them both.

"What are you doing up so early Harumi?" I asked.

"I woke up when you kissed my forehead, and I couldn't go back to sleep," Harumi said. I blushed a deep red and Sanada smiled at me. We reach the kitchen and Sanada looked at Harumi.

"Is there anything in particular you want?" Sanada asked.

"Do you have any grits?" Harumi asked.

"We do actually," Sanada said.

"Good, Big Sis makes the best grits!" Harumi said.

"My grits aren't that good. I actually think that they're pretty bad," I said.

"They're really good! Uncle Sanada, you should try them!" Harumi said.

"Maybe I will. Grits are a good breakfast food," Sanada said. Harumi nodded and looked at me.

"Okay, I'll make grits. Just give me a sec, I'm still half asleep," I said.

"Okay! I'll go watch TV!" Harumi said.

"Try not to keep the volume too loud. My family is still asleep," Sanada said. Harumi nodded and quietly walked into the living room. She did it in a comical way too. The way she walked made me think of the stealth in Skyrim.

I wonder if Marui grabbed all of my video games. If he didn't, I was going to hit him upside the head when I got to class.

Sanada looked at me again when Harumi left. His eyes were soft, caring. This was getting awkward. For me at least.

"Amaya, you don't have to make breakfast, I can do it," Sanada said.

"Are you sure? I don't want to die from your cooking," I said, making Sanada glare at me. That was the Sanada I knew.

"My cooking isn't bad. I make breakfast a lot in my family," Sanada said.

"Okay. By the way, do you want me to go to school today?" I asked.

"Sure, besides I want to talk to you and the entire team about what happened yesterday and what's going to happen," Sanada said.

"Please don't make me talk about it so early."

"The sooner we talk about it, the sooner we can get it sorted out. I know you don't want to talk about it, but please bear with it. For Harumi."

"Why do I get the feeling that you want to say for you as well."

"I don't know."

"I'll do it for you as well."

"…. Thank you Amaya."

I just smiled and grabbed Sanada's hand. It was warm, and he squeezed my hand.

"Your hand is cold," He said, taking my other one and placing them together between his hands trying to warm them up. I shivered, my hands warming up made me feel how cold my body really was.

"You should put on some pants and a thicker shirt. It's getting colder," Sanada said.

"I need to get dressed in my school uniform anyways. Thanks for offering though," I said.

"You're just going to wear sweatpants under your skirt aren't you?" Sanada asked, taking his hands away from mine.

"Of course I am," I said, grinning at him. Sanada just looked at me and pushed my glasses up slightly. I didn't even know that they were falling.

"Big Sis, are you making breakfast?" Harumi came in the kitchen and asked.

"Sanada seems to be the one making breakfast," I said.

"Didn't you say Sanada's cooking killed someone?" She asked, making Sanada look at me.

"I was kidding," I said, looking away from him.

"Big Sis, you're funny!" Harumi giggled.

"Why thank you. I do try," I said, a smile on my face. I looked at the clock. It was 5:30.

"I'm going back to bed. Can you wake me up in an hour?" I asked. Sanada just nodded and I walked back up the stairs to his room again. I took off my glasses and placed them where they were before. I laid my head on the pillow and instantly fell asleep.

I woke up to Harumi shaking my arm roughly.

"Big Sis! Sanada's getting impatient with you!" She said. I blinked and sat up, putting on my glasses to look at the two people in front of me. Both Harumi and Sanada looked at me. Sanada looked annoyed and Harumi looked worried.

"You wouldn't wake up, so I thought something had happened to you!" Harumi said.

"I'm fine. It must be my lazy genes kicking in," I said. I looked at Sanada and he rolled his eyes.

"Breakfast was eaten already, but there's still some left. I'll get you a plate," Sanada said.

"Breakfast in bed? How romantic of you Sanada," I said, making Sanada blush.

"You can just get the plate yourself," Sanada said, making me sigh. I got out of bed and Harumi followed Sanada out of the room.

"Uncle Sanada already got out your toothbrush, hairbrush, school uniform, sweatpants and body spray. He must really like you!" Harumi said, making me blush a deep red.

"Don't worry, I promised him I wouldn't tell," Harumi said, running off.

'But you just told me,' was what I thought but I quickly shook the thought away. I had to get ready! I quickly put on my school uniform and sweatpants, along with deodorant, which I had to find hidden deep within my bag, and body spray. I brushed my hair and yawned. I went to the bathroom and brushed my teeth before rushing downstairs to find Sanada and Harumi watching TV.

"What are you watching?" I asked.

"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!" Harumi said. I high-fived her and sat down next to her.

"Big Sis, are you even allowed to wear sweatpants under your skirt like that?" Harumi asked.

"Nope."

"Isn't Uncle Yagyuu part of the Student Discipline committee?"

"Yeah, he likes to yell at people for their mistakes in life."

"Doesn't that mean that he has to yell at you for wearing your uniform wrong?"

"I guess so. But I'll just yell back and he knows it."

"Amaya."

"What? I was just saying."

It was silent for a second before the Sanada's alarm went off. It was 6:45.

"We have to go now for morning practice," Sanada said. I sighed and nodded, getting up. Harumi got up too and hugged me.

"Have fun big sis!" She said.

"I'll try," I said, looking at Sanada. We both put on our shoes, and grabbed our bags.

"Hey, can I copy your homework?" I asked.

"Sure, considering why you weren't able to do it," Sanada said.

"Can we please not bring that up until it's absolutely necessary?"

We both ran out of the house and walked to Rikkaidai in silence. We got there at 6:55 and I went to the tennis courts while Sanada changed into his uniform.

Almost everyone was already there except for Akaya, who was most likely in the changing rooms. Everyone smiled at me and I smiled slightly back.

"It's nice to see you, but you aren't usually here this early. Did Sanada-san make you come here?" Yukimura asked.

"He said he wanted to talk about what happened yesterday," I said, making everyone's eyes widen.

"Why?" Yukimura asked.

"Don't ask me, I'm not a mind reader," I said, making Yukimura look at me oddly. It took Sanada about 2 minutes to get there, Akaya in hand.

"Sanada, why are we going to talk about what happened? There's no need to," Yanagi asked.

"I just felt like we needed to get it out of the way before we do anything else. Who are both Amaya and Harumi going to stay with?" Sanada asked.

"I can't do it. I have my brothers to take care of," Marui said.

"My parents are thinking about it," Yanagi said.

"My parents said that we could take one but not the other," Yukimura said.

"My parents can't do it at all," Jackal said.

"I still have to ask," Niou said, a smile on his face.

"I would do it, but I can't," Yagyuu said.

"I don't know how much longer you guys can stay," Sanada said, turning to Akaya.

"My parents don't want anybody else residing in my house until my older sister leaves," Akaya said.

"So it's all based on whether or not Yanagi's or Niou's parents say yes? Excuse me, if Yanagi's parents say yes and if Niou actually asks?" I asked.

"I guess," Yukimura said.

"Niou, please ask. You have no idea how big this is," Amaya said.

"Don't worry Amaya. Remind me after afternoon practice and I'll do it," Niou said, lifting up my chin and looking me in the eye. I felt his hand go around my waist and his stare put me in a trance. I didn't even notice he was moving to kiss me until….

"NIOU MASAHARU!"

Sanada's loud voice cut through the air. Niou kissed my forehead and let me go.

"I was just being as straightforward as her. Who knows, she may like straightforward guys," Niou said, winking at me. I blushed a deep red and looked away.

After that, there was nothing notable that happened. After about an hour and a half of practice and copying homework, it was time for school. I walked down the hall, and I noticed everyone was ignoring me. I was confused, but didn't show it. It wasn't until after my first class that I figured out what was going on.

"Hey, have you heard that Amaya was messing around with Niou this morning?"

"I heard that she's also trying to move in with someone from the tennis club."

"Seriously? She must be thirsty."

"Very much, I heard she was trying to run away from her mother. Something about being abusive from what I heard the tennis club talking about."

"So she's being abused. It's kind of sad, but she doesn't have to hide behind the tennis club."

"Exactly. All she does is talk crap and hide behind people. It's not cool. I can't believe that both the Seigaku tennis team and the Rikkaidai tennis team are putting up with that."

I heard that all day and I ran to the tennis courts, almost tripping over my own feet multiple times. Everyone was already practicing when I got there. I burst through the gate, catching everyone's attention.

"Amaya, what's wrong?"

"EVERYONE IN THE SCHOOL KNOWS!"

"What!?"

* * *

Sorry if it partially sucks, most of it I wrote from about 1-4:40 am from all the coffee breaks I had to take. I wanted to get this to you guys tonight. I hope you like it! I have to get to bed. :) Leave a review and check out my other stories! Ciao!


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